Veterans Day Morning
by ecv
Summary: Takes place on a Veterans Day morning before Booth and Brennan were a couple. Oneshot. Thanks to all who have served.


_A/N: Takes place on a Veterans Day before they were a couple. Thanks for reading._

He rose before dawn, the first tendrils of light not yet appearing over the horizon. Exhausted, his bed called him like a siren's song, but he blocked the enticing music from his mind and refused to listen. There was a place he needed to be. A promise to himself that he needed to keep. There would always be time for a nap later.

Their last case had been solved the previous day, the paperwork lasting past midnight. She'd offered to let him sleep on her couch, but he'd refused, not giving her a reason why. The thought of the lecture she might give him, the anthropological explanations he just couldn't handle, had made him press his lips together and shake his head at her offer.

Her eyes had narrowed and she'd given him an assessing look, but in the end, she'd simply nodded her head and wished him good night. But he wondered if she knew somehow, in that big brain of hers that missed nothing, what he was doing this morning. Why he couldn't stay.

A nice pair of pants, a nice shirt. He dressed for himself, not for those he was going to visit. They wouldn't see his clothes. But respect was found in the simplest of gestures and this was just another way for him to pay it.

Twice a year he made this trip in this fashion. Today was supposed to be about honoring all those who served, but he felt a special affinity for those he'd served with who hadn't made it home. He went other times as well, on special days or when he felt the need to, but on two dates each year, there was a ritual to it. A pattern he'd established over the years that he'd never failed to follow. There was respect in that too.

A cup of coffee would have been nice. Something to chase away the fatigue, at least for a few hours. But folding his hands to pray was always more awkward with something in his hand, so the drink would have to wait. He'd get something after. Maybe a stop for breakfast depending on how this went. Sometimes he didn't feel like eating after these visits, the emotional upheaval more than his stomach could handle.

The air was cool on his skin as he left his apartment and headed toward the SUV. Pausing, Booth tipped his head back toward the sky. The stars were disappearing and they made him think of Bones. It seemed most things did these days. But thoughts of her were a bright spot tinged with frustration. She was everything he knew he wanted and the one thing he wasn't sure he'd ever get.

The streets were empty as he headed toward his destination. It was a holiday and while traffic would increase as the sun came up, it wouldn't be quite as bad as it normally was.

The drive was easy. His thoughts were were not. They were always unsettled when he made visits like this. His pride and his anger at having to make the drive at all tangled up inside him until the knots were almost impossible to unravel.

He should have told Bones what he was doing. Asked her to come with him. Maybe having someone with him would make the whole thing a little easier. Would she have walked with him, kept her own counsel while he followed the familiar path? Considering the question, Booth thought she might. The next time he came, he'd ask her to come, just to see how it went. Then he'd know.

But for today, it was too late to ask her. His thoughts drifting to times he tried not to think about too often, Booth turned up the street that would take him to Arlington.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

She rose to the sound of her alarm and headed for the shower. When she closed her eyes to rinse her hair, she pictured the skeleton in Limbo she'd been trying to identify.

The markers were there, the young man had been a soldier, but she was waiting on the results of several tests before making a positive identification. It was hard not to be annoyed with herself that it was taking so long.

Her goal had been to have it completed before today. Temperance Brennan didn't like missing goals she set for herself. Even when it was out of her control.

Knowing there was nothing she could do without those results, her thoughts drifted to the living breathing soldier she knew. Brennan pictured him instead of the unidentified skeleton. The look on his face as he'd refused her offer to sleep on the couch. Booth had wanted to share something with her, but had chosen at the last moment not to. Trying to figure it out had led to a restless night of sleep. Until just before dawn. When she'd set her alarm to wake her for fear she'd sleep too late.

Because she'd figured out why he hadn't stayed. Knew exactly what he was going to do on this quiet Veterans Day morning.

He hadn't shared it with her, because he feared her reaction. But he should know that if it was important to him, it would be important to her. It was more than a partner thing, it was a friend thing. And they were friends.

There was something else there too. Beneath a surface she wasn't ready to explore. That day was coming. Brennan wasn't sure she was ready for it. She could only hope Booth would wait if she wasn't quite there yet.

But today wasn't about her, and the feelings she wasn't ready for, it was about him. And if he'd wanted to ask, then he might have wanted her with him. It gave her a moment's pause that she had figured this out without him saying a word. But she shook her head, not really having time to think about it. Her goal was to be there waiting for him. Or as close to that moment as she could manage.

Arlington was huge. A place both of them wished was smaller. She'd said that to him once and was thankful it hadn't led to an argument.

It would make it harder for her to find him. But if she knew him well enough to know what he was doing this morning, she knew him well enough to locate him. It would take logic and a little bit of luck. Not that she believed in luck. But Booth did. So she'd take a little bit of what he believed to help her.

After her late night, she wanted coffee, but didn't take the time to make it. It would be easier to touch his arm or his hand if hers were free. Brennan wasn't sure what kind of support he might need, but she wanted to be ready for anything. Coffee would have to wait until the morning was over.

One last glance in the mirror, a stop at the closet to grab her coat and she was out the door. Maybe this was a mistake, but in her heart, it felt right. And that was enough to send her after Booth.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He always started in the same place. The ritual never changing and there was a certain comfort in that. He knew what memories he'd face and the order in which they would come. That made it both easier and harder somehow.

When the day was over, he'd feel battered and bruised by what had appeared in his mind. Knowing what was coming didn't make it any easier. Booth thought that each time it might get a little better, but it never did. Maybe it was time to bring someone with him. When Bones found out about this, if she found out, she'd be annoyed with him for not asking for company. He should have just asked her and he regretted not doing so.

There were ceremonies held on Veterans Day, but Booth never attended. It was a day to honor the active and former members of the military, a day to honor him, but he didn't need it. He hadn't done it for the honor or glory. For him, it was about honoring those who hadn't come home. Helping those who needed it more than he did.

Arlington was always a somber place, filled with a weight of memories that always seemed to press down on him. This time of year, the gray of the weather combined with his emotions, making that weight a little heavier.

He almost stopped and turned around. Headed back to his SUV and called Bones to come meet him. That she would come wasn't something he worried about. If he made the phone call, she'd be there. It was just that easy.

Feet slowing until he almost stopped moving, Booth pinched the bridge of his nose and forced himself to continue. He was already here. Get this done and continue on with his day. Maybe then he'd find Bones and they could meet for lunch.

It didn't take long for him to arrive at his first stop. A bowed head and a simple prayer in front of a headstone. It seemed so little to offer, but it was all he had. That and his determination to never forget.

So he remembered. A man who'd made him laugh. Who had shared the snacks sent from home without complaint. Who once sang a song in a voice so off-key it made Booth sound like a rock star.

A man who'd died way too soon.

The expression on his face was somber when he turned. And there was Bones, standing some distance behind him. Blinking hard, he wondered if wishing for her had somehow made her image appear in front of him. Maybe he was more tired than he realized. But when she remained standing there, he accepted that she'd come without him actually asking her to.

Her hands were tucked in the pockets of her trench coat. A quick perusal told him she'd dressed up as well. Her hair was loose around her face and when he finally made it to her eyes, they were a little apprehensive as she watched him.

She wasn't sure of her welcome, but she'd still come. And wouldn't take another step toward him until he indicated that he wanted her there. It was his decision and Booth knew she wouldn't judge him no matter what he chose.

But there really wasn't much of a choice. Because as soon as he'd seen her, some of the weight on his shoulders had lifted. He wasn't going to have to do this alone and he loved her just a little bit more for it.

The idea that love had brought her to him, even if she couldn't admit to it yet, made the corners of his mouth lift slightly. With a flick of his wrist, he motioned for her, waiting until she was at his side before continuing down the path.

"How did you know?" he asked. His voice was rough from the lack of sleep and the weight of memories.

Looking down her feet, then toward him, she shrugged. "Where else would you go today? It was logic. And you. But if you would prefer to do this alone..."

"No," he said, wincing at the sharp tone. He repeated the word, softening his voice. "No. I'm glad you're here.."

And he was. More thankful that he could adequately put into words. Especially on a day where his emotions were already running on high. "I wanted to ask you. I should have asked you."

"You should have," she agreed. "But I understand why you didn't. I will always support you when you need me to. I'm sorry if you worried about how I'd react if I came with you today.."

"No," he disagreed, wondering if he knew any other words to say to her. "I wasn't worried." Even if he had been, just a little. "I just have always done this alone. I wasn't sure how I'd feel if someone else came with me. I was wrong about that."

She made it easier and he wondered what that meant for the two of them. Were they moving closer to each other, or circling a future that would never come to pass?

Silence fell between them as they continued, before she took a deep breath that seemed very loud. "I thought," she said, her voice much quieter than the breath had been. "I thought that maybe you just did this alone. Then I thought that maybe you did it alone because you didn't have another choice. Pops is too old and Parker too young. And that maybe you'd like a friend with you. So I came."

How she'd ever come to the conclusion that she didn't understand emotions or have an open heart would never make sense to him. If she didn't understand anyone else, she definitely understood him.

"You didn't have to come," he said. "I'm sure you have someplace else you'd rather be."

Her blue eyes locked on his and there was nothing but sincerity in them. "There is no place else I'd rather be."

Nodding at the statement, accepting it as the truth because Bones never lied, Booth continued on his way. And when he stopped again, she stepped back to give him privacy. Not once did she ask a single question or offer some scientific explanation for what he was doing. Whatever she thought about it, she kept her own counsel.

Which made him touch her arm when she tried to step away the next time. And when the prayer was done and it was time to remember, Booth started to talk. He shared the memories that made him laugh and the ones that made him brush at his cheeks.

A hand was offered, a connection between them. When he held on long after it was appropriate, Brennan didn't pull away. It was more than friendship, and she feared what it might mean.

But she could box that worry up for another day. Today, it was about supporting a friend.

Maybe tomorrow, she could persuade herself to believe it.

"They say," she said when they were moving back toward his SUV, "that as long as one person remembers, no one is really gone. You honor your friends, Booth. And in honoring them, you honor yourself."

Her words meant more to him that he could say. The best he could offer her was a grateful smile and a quiet thank you. He wasn't sure it was enough. No, he knew it wasn't enough, but it was all he could give her.

Maybe, not too far into the future, he'd be able to do more than just hold her hand. It wasn't much more than a spark, the hope he felt, but it was there.

Booth was forced to drop her hand when they arrived at his vehicle. He knew their moment, whatever it had been, was over. At least for now.

But the day was only beginning. For the first time, he had an appetite after making this visit. "Can I buy you breakfast, Bones?"

"Breakfast sounds good. But I'll buy. You bought the takeout last night." She picked at something on her pants. Shifting his eyes from the road, he looked at her face and down at her hands before focusing back on what he should be watching.

"Something else?" he asked.

"Maybe you'd want to do something today?" she blurted out. Bones, who was sure about everything, suddenly sounded very unsure. "A movie perhaps? But I understand if you prefer to spend this day alone. I can always go to the Lab," she hurried to add, not wanting him to agree out of a sense of obligation.

Booth was charmed. A dangerous emotion for the man who was falling in love with the woman who was just his partner.

"Sound great, Bones. Thanks for coming today."

"You're welcome," she said. The explanation about friends and partners being there for each other was on her lips, but she let the words fade without giving them voice.

It felt wrong to pretend that had been all it was.

Tomorrow, she'd start trying to figure it out.


End file.
